William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon - 2022

VITALS:

- $120

- 124.7 Proof

- 12 years, 8 months

- 2022

- Kentucky

It's always weird writing reviews of products like the Pappy or BTAC lines. After all, it's not as though someone presented with the opportunity to purchase a bottle from either line at retails is going to say, "Hold on, let me check out reviews first." For the most part, anyone is going to simply buy.  So, writing a review doesn't make a whole lot of sense, as people are just going to come to their own conclusion anyway.

But, I've always maintained that I don't write these blog posts for that purpose. Rather, this has very much been my own personal journal of my whiskey journey for the past ten years (it's crazy that I've been doing this for ten years now!!).  So, while it's a foregone conclusion that yes, of course this good, and while nobody is consulting this page before making the decision to buy a 2022 William Larue Weller, I'm writing this up nonetheless for no other reason than that I finally finished my bottle!

On the nose the most immediate note I got was oak. The barrel certainly had a significant influence here. However, behind that I got all the traditional notes I've come to expect, with a good amount of rich caramel and vanilla, as well as a surprising amount of cinnamon spice. I don't typically get that much spice off a wheater, but I certainly did here. There was also a sort of a graham cracker or even a shortbread note that seemed to lurk in the background.

The flavor, again, was more spice forward than I expected. But that certainly wasn't a bad thing in my book. In fact, it provided a great blend of sweet and spice, as the caramel and vanilla notes were right up front, followed almost immediately by a cinnamon spice that seemed to coat the tongue and mouth. 

As that subsided, though, it gave way to many of the sweeter notes you'd expect. I definitely got a cherry note, like a maraschino cherry that gave off Old Fashioned vibes. At times that rich, dark fruit note leaned more towards chocolate covered raisins, and even seemed to bounce back and forth between the flavors.

As I got to the finish, the cinnamon note remained, though it wasn't strong. The cherry note continued, and the oak I was getting on the nose finally made its way through. But what really seemed to press forward on the finish was the rich vanilla note, which started small and by the time I swallowed each sip seemed to get big. That finish of vanilla, oak, cinnamon and cherry had me wanting more and more after each sip.

Again, you knew this would be good coming in, so the grade is no surprise. The only reason it didn't get the "A+" grade is I've had other W.L. Weller's that I feel like really knocked my socks off, moreso than this one. But make no mistake, I absolutely loved this bottle.

Grade: A

2Bar Amaretto Barrel Finished Straight Bourbon Whiskey

VITALS:

- $40

- 90 Proof

- 3 Years

- Washington

Prior to buying this bottle, I had never heard of 2Bar distillery out of Seattle. And, even looking at the bottle, the packaging leaves a lot to desire with it's black and white label that looks like it could have been created in Microsoft Word. 

However, what did intrigue me was the finish. This is the first that I had seen an amaretto barrel finished whiskey. I happen to be a big fan of amaretto. I love the flavor of amaretto liqueur. There once was a time in my youth where I enjoyed the occasional amaretto stone sour. And, it's a note that from time to time I get in my whiskeys, one that I enjoy. So, given the unique finish as well as the relatively modest price tag, I felt this was something worth checking out. 

On the nose I definitely get the amaretto notes. When I first opened the bottle, not so much. But, after it had been open a while, that amaretto finish definitely had its influence. There was a sort of sweet coffee note as well, kind of like a chocolate covered coffee bean. I also got a sweet oatmeal raisin note.  Overall, it smelled pretty great.

As to flavor, I was immediately hit with those notes of youth. This was unquestionably a young bourbon, as I got that overripe apple note that I always find in craft bourbons that just need some more time in the barrel. Here it was pretty prominent right up front.

But, what I really liked about this bottle, is that the finishing then seemed to kick in shortly after, removing those "young" notes from my palate somewhat quickly, and replacing them with far more pleasant flavors of amaretto and coffee liqueur.

Even the chocolate note came through to add a bit of richness and a touch of sweetness. It all blended together with the amaretto, the chocolate, the alcohol liqueur type notes, and even a bit of vanilla, such that it reminded me of a cherry cordial, just without the cherry. 

On the finish there was a rich, dark fruit note that came through, like fig or raisin. I didn't really get this up front, but it was definitely present on the finish, accompanied by a nice brown sugar note. And by the end of each sip, those young notes were pretty much completely gone.

Despite being very young tasting, this was still very enjoyable.  If 2Bar has time to let some of this bourbon age a few more years, this amaretto finish could be something quite delicious!!

Grade: B-

Parker's Heritage Collection Double Barreled Blend Kentucky Straight Bourbon - 2022

VITALS:

- $200

- 132.2 Proof

- 13 & 14 years

- Kentucky

The Parker's Heritage releases are, for good reason, some of the more highly sought after releases. However, it seems that interest may have waned just a bit, perhaps due to the ever increasing prices of these bottles, the already existing frustration over their being hard to find, and the release of a few less-than-stellar bottlings in recent years.

And yet, when I was offered this bottle, I just couldn't help myself, despite the steep price tag.  While it is a blend, at least it's a blend of bourbon (as opposed to American single malt like I'm seeing sit on shelves everywhere theses days) and at least it provides the percentage and age of the blends. Effectively, this is a cask strength 13 year bourbon, although 33% of the blend is a 15 year bourbon. Only the 13 year was double-barreled, apparently. 

The nose was rich and deep in aroma, with healthy notes of dark cherry and oak. It had a rich sweetness to it, like a dark toffee, along with some dark chocolate. It also had a bit of an anise note to add to the richness and to keep it a bit interesting as well.  I had a really hard time taking my nose way from my glass, as I would just sit there sniffing it over and over before each sip.

The flavor hit all the marks of what I love in a bourbon, starting with one of my favorite words when writing these reviews -- "rich."  This had an incredible depth and richness to it that I just couldn't get enough of.  It started with deep dark fruit notes like cherry and blackberry, which was accompanied by a great amaretto note that kept anything from ever getting too sweet.

There was a healthy amount of oak to it, betraying its age but never leaning too bitter. That is perhaps due to the healthy amount of dark toffee that countered any bitterness, but still never leaned too sweet. There was also a rich (told you I like that word) dark chocolate that seemed to act as a sort of undercurrent to everything else going on.

The finish provided a touch of cinnamon spice, but that really gave way to the toffee, dark chocolate and cherry notes that I was getting on the front end. And, the best part was that these notes seemed to never subside and lingered in my mouth long after each sip, allowing me to really savor every single pour.

This was one of those bottles that I just hesitated to finish off the last few pours, because I just didn't want it to be gone.  I don't know that this release got a ton of love, but it was definitely one of my favorite pours in recent years.

Grade: A+